Before the Storm
by jadefirefly3D
Summary: Mabel had missed out on a lot while trapped in her bubble, and the more she learns about Weirdmageddon, the closer she comes to realizing the part she had to play in it. So as they wait to face the oncoming storm together, Dipper and Mabel have a little talk on the roof of the Mystery Shack. "It's my fault, isn't it?" NOW WITH MORE COMPLETENESS! YAY!
1. Guilt

A/N Not much to say here but sorry it's been a while since I've updated anything. Life has been quite a challenge the last several months, and unfortunately it means I have to put fanfiction on the backburner which means slow updates. But I'm hoping to get everything in my other stories updated soon.

Meanwhile this exists because while I adored "Escape from Reality" which was just as weird and colourful as I would expect from Mabel's fantasies, and I thought the emotional moments were terrific (who didn't go 'Aww' at little Dipper and Mabel in the flashbacks?) and I was so happy to see my beloved Mystery Twins together again at last, I think there are a couple of issues left unresolved. That's OK though since there's only so much they can put in an episode which is why I wrote this two-shot. Set between "Escape from Reality" and the finale. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Part One**

The reunion was a filled with bittersweet relief and joy. Stan had immediately dropped everything and scooped up Dipper and Mabel in a choking hug, getting a little teary-eyed in the process. "I was cutting an onion!" he had insisted, though there was no evidence to support his claims, but they both played along knowingly as he finally released them before patting Soos on the back, and then pulling him into a warm, one-armed hug as he placed his hand on Wendy's shoulder, thrilled to see his family and staff were safe.

Meanwhile Candy and Grenda tackled Mabel to the ground in an overenthusiastic group hug as Pacifica approached Dipper and quietly wrapped her arms around him in a quick but heartfelt embrace.

Soon everyone was gathered in the living room, swapping stories about their adventures the last few days. How the Mystery Shack had become a safe haven for the survivors, how Stan became their leader and various stories about survival and loss and how everyone ended up there.

The whole time, once Mabel's initial enthusiasm at seeing her Grunkle and her friends were OK faded, she had become quiet as everyone shared their stories. It had been quite a shock when she saw the state of the town, and the eerie red sky with a giant 'X' shaped tear. She had no idea what exactly happened, Dipper, Soos and Wendy had been rather vague, understandably deciding that finding shelter was the first priority, and all she knew was that Bill was behind it.

She still didn't know how much time had passed since she woke up in that bubble. Time had no meaning there—every time she thought about her bubble since escaping it, her sense of how long she was there varied, sometimes she remembered it feeling like she had only been there for a few hours, but other times it felt like, days, months, _years_ even. And with her perception of time inside the bubble completely out of whack, she had no sense of how much time actually passed in reality. For all she knew it could've been minutes or it could've been years. Of course too much had clearly happened to have been mere minutes, and it couldn't have been years, since no one had aged, but how long had it really been? Hours? Days? Weeks? It had to have at least been a few days, but it couldn't have been more than a few weeks since it was still summer outside, but did she miss turning thirteen?

And then there was the question of what exactly happened? How did Bill manage to take over? Why did it seem like everyone who was captured got turned to stone while she was trapped in a giant bubble? Why did she end up getting to live out her childish fantasies while everyone else seemed to have had to go through hell? The weirdest thing was she felt like she knew the answer more accurately than anyone else in the room, but for some reason it was beyond her reach and the answer had been forgotten like a once vivid dream that had quickly faded from memory.

Soos had spent a lot of time sharing his tales about how his grandmother had been turned into a chair and how he had become the unlikely hero of the Oddpocalypse. Mabel had become so lost in her thoughts though that she unintentionally started to tune things out and ended up missing most of what her friend had to say but when he seemed to be finished, Mabel cleared her throat.

"Um…I have a question?" Everyone looked at her as she spoke and while she normally loved the spotlight, for once she wished people would turn their attention elsewhere and away from her because suddenly she felt incredibly awkward.

"What's that sweetie?" Stan asked.

"So…what happened exactly anyway? How did the Triangle Guy manage to take over Gravity Falls in the first place? And _when_ did this happen?" Mabel questioned, "What _happened_?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Stan asked, trying to determine whether she was being serious or not, but the look in her eyes had him gape incredulously, "You mean you don't know?"

"She spent the last four days trapped in a prison bubble designed by Bill," Dipper explained.

"Four days?" Mabel exclaimed, finding something both comforting and unsettling in the answer.

"Prison bubble!" Stan gasped, as he and everyone stared at her in pity and concern, making it clear that it should be her turn to share her story.

She blushed, ducking her head. If things didn't feel awkward before, they sure did now. "It's no big deal," she murmured, trying to downplay it because everyone else had stories of misery, loss and horror, and she had all her wild childish fantasies come true. She spent the last four days apparently, in paradise compared to everyone else. It hadn't been until _after_ the spell over her had been broken that she realised how awful her fantasy world really was, and even then she still had it way better than everyone else. It didn't seem right for her to tell her story considering all her friends, family and neighbours had to go through.

"Must've been awful!" Grenda exclaimed as Candy echoed with, "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, fine, _I'm_ fine," she cleared her throat, "but I kind of missed out on all the excitement. I honestly had no idea this was happening until…well…" she looked to Dipper for help and to fill in the blanks. She seriously felt like she was _missing_ something, something so much more than what had happened in reality as she lived out her fantasy.

Whatever it was it was forming a knot in her stomach that was making her nauseous and she felt heavy with inexplicable guilt. She wasn't sure where the feeling came from or why she'd feel so guilty, but she knew it was from something deeper than the fact that she had it easy compared to everyone else. It was like the weight of the world was on her shoulders all over again, but this time there was no button to press or not press, no split second decision she had to make. But something in her gut told her that she had done something terrible.

"Honestly kiddo, no one really knows _how_ Bill managed to get into our world and take over," Stan sighed, "one minute everything was normal and the next…"

"I think I have an idea," Dipper cut in, "but it's a long story."

"Well," Pacifica said, almost impatiently when Dipper hesitated, "go on."

Dipper sighed, "I had been sworn to secrecy, but I…I guess it doesn't matter now." He looked at Mabel and gave her a small smile, "A few weeks ago a portal of sorts between dimensions had been opened…"

"A portal?!" Blubs cocked his head skeptically, which was kind of ironic considering everything, "Between dimensions?"

" _That's_ a story for another time I think, get to your point Dipper," Stan cut in, not to be impatient, but because he clearly wanted some things to remain secret.

"Anyway, it had created a dangerous Rift that could open a doorway between our world and Bill's," Dipper explained, "it had been contained, but the globe that it was sealed in was cracking…I guess it broke before it could be fixed." He purposely kept it vague, because even the little bit he shared felt like he was betraying Ford, but the motley crew of survivors had a right to know.

Mabel covered her mouth to hide her gasp as his words sparked an abstract fragment of a memory. She knew what he was talking about, even though she had no idea what it was at the time, but she could see it in her hands holding it out to someone. Who that someone was and the exact circumstances behind the memory wasn't clear, but it was enough. The last thing she had remembered before ending up in Mabeland was retreating into Sweatertown after running away in tears. Whatever had happened in between was a complete blank, except for that one little fragment.

No one seemed to notice the quiet distress building within her as Dipper began to tell his story. How he and Ford tried to stop Bill, how Ford was turned into gold and how Dipper had spent days all alone trying to evade the Eye Bats, trying to survive as he searched for Mabel. About how horrible he felt for making her so upset that she had run off, about how he would talk to her through the walkie-talkie, not knowing if she could hear him or if she was even still alive, and how by doing so it made him feel a little less alone. About how he ran into Wendy and they managed to get the key to Mabel's bubble from Gideon who had made a deal with Bill to have Mabel to himself but ended up helping them save her.

She listened to the story and wiped a tear from her eye and when he went quiet she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly without even a shred of awkwardness. He had been through so much to get here, and now that she heard how hard he fought to save her, she felt like the worst person in the world for making it so difficult for him even though she knew it was part of Bill's evil design to make her want to stay in the bubble.

Dipper had stopped at the part where he, Wendy and Soos had reached her bubble and the three seemed to unanimously agree without saying a word that what happened inside Mabel's bubble wasn't their story to tell.

"So then what happened?" Grenda asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"We all escaped the bubble and ended up here," Wendy said as the twins released each other from their hug.

"So what happens now?" Mabel asked, trying to ignore the heavy and abstract feeling of guilt that was gnawing at her gut by focusing on her need to _do_ something, "Because I don't know about you guys, but I think it's high time we sent that stupid yellow triangle and his friends back where they belong."

"We're all with you kid," Stan smirked tiredly, "and believe me, we've been trying to come up with a plan to defeat him because let's face it, we can't all hide here forever. So far though we've got nothing, but that doesn't mean we're giving up, right guys?" Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. "In the meantime, we're safe here. So far none of those Eye Bat thingies or creatures have been able to breech the protective barrier you kids and Ford put up." At the mention of Ford his eyes got a little distant and sad and he paused for just a moment. "Anyway, it's late and you four all look beat so I say for now, we should call it a night. We all can use some rest."

"Can't argue with that," Wendy agreed with an exhausted sigh. Soos and Dipper both echoed her as Mabel bit her lip, feeling more rested than she should. She wasn't tired at all, it was like she had a nice long nap before they got there, which somehow made her feel worse.

"Bet you kids are hungry too," Stan added.

"Starving!" Soos exclaimed, his stomach growling as if on cue. Dipper and Wendy both nodded in agreement and Mabel realized she wasn't hungry either. But why should she be? Her fantasy world was full of all her favourite foods. Her stomach suddenly growled, but it wasn't from hunger, rather it was from nausea and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Whether it was from the guilt eating at her or all fake candy she consumed in her bubble she couldn't tell, but she suddenly needed some air.

The room seemed to come alive with more chatter again as they discussed dinner and rations, sleeping arrangements and whatnot. Mabel used that as an opportunity to slip away from the group and sneak off to the Gift Shop where she climbed the ladder leading to the roof.

She climbed up past the nook where they kept a couple of chairs and a cooler to hang out, all the way to the very top of the roof to the highest point and looked out at the red sky, the 'X' shaped tear and the devastation made to the forest. She pulled the collar of her sweater up to her nose, wanting to retreat into Sweatertown, but unable to look away from all the destruction.

She felt her eyes well with tears as she looked around, images of the destroyed and abandoned town flashed in her mind and she could still hear the stories of fear, loss and survival told by the people and creatures downstairs echo in her head as guilt gnawed at her gut so badly it hurt. She sniffed and looked at her hands, closing her eyes to visualize that snippet of memory she got back in the living room when Dipper was talking about how Bill somehow managed to invade their world.

 _Come on Mabel, think, think, think!_ She told herself, trying to remember more than that. She was holding it in her hands, reaching to hand it to someone but _who_? _Why_? All she could remember was running away in tears, upset after her fight with Dipper, ready to binge on some chocolate to help cheer herself up only to discover she grabbed Dipper's backpack by mistake. With nothing else to do to ease her broken heart she retreated into Sweatertown…and then suddenly she was in Mabeland.

But somewhere in between Sweatertown and Mabeland she was holding the Rift thing that Dipper was talking about. She had it in her hands! That mean that somehow…somehow she had done something to it, something that caused all _this._

 _It was my fault…_

So what happened then?

Who was she holding it out to?

Why did she get to live out her fantasies while everyone else suffered?

They were questions that she knew she had the answers to somewhere deep in her mind, memories that hid beyond her reach. But she didn't need to remember the events because even with pieces of the puzzle missing, she had enough of the picture to draw her own conclusions and it wasn't good.

 _What have I done?_

* * *

A/N Thanks for reading! Please review! That would be AWESOME! Next chapter will be up in a few days, once I work out the kinks.


	2. Blame

A/N Thanks everyone SO MUCH for the reviews and the faves/follows! You guys are all awesome!

There's a long winded A/N at the end, so I'll keep this one short. Without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

 **Part Two**

As Mabel tried to piece together what exactly went down when she was holding that Rift thingie, she eventually sat down with her feet dangling over the edge at the highest part of the roof. It probably wasn't the safest place to hang out in the middle of an apocalypse, even with a protective barrier made of unicorn hair and whatever else Dipper and Ford used to make it, but she didn't care. As she looked down at the destroyed forest surrounding her home away from home, a morbid thought crossed her mind.

 _I should do everyone a favour and jump…_

She immediately shoved that absurd idea from her head. The idea was stupid. The roof was high, but not that high. Unless she went head first, the most likely outcome would be that she would break a few bones and be a completely useless burden to everyone. Either way, she could never go through with something so stupid. She felt like the scum of the earth, but she wouldn't do that to her friends and family.

Thoughts of suicide though were brief and passed as quickly as they came. She had to chuckle at herself for letting such a ridiculous thought cross her mind in the first place. But the one idea that she couldn't shake was that the whole reason everyone was even in this situation was because of something that she did. She still wasn't quite sure _what_ she did exactly, but she had a really good idea and it made her stomach churn from guilt.

She sniffed, wiping the stubborn tears that insisted on falling down her face as she wallowed in her remorse, feeling like the worst person in the world and having no idea what to do about it.

"Mabel?"

Dipper's voice from below startled her out of her thoughts and she looked down to see Dipper's head poking out of the trap door that led to their hang out spot. From where she was she was pretty much concealed so when Dipper didn't immediately see her he started back down the ladder. She was tempted to keep quiet so she wouldn't be discovered because she just wanted to be left alone for a little while longer but considering all that had happened, she didn't want to worry him when he was looking for her. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to keep her voice even.

"I'm up here," she called with an unenthusiastic wave.

"What are you doing up there?" he asked, straining his neck to see her.

"Wanted to be alone," she shrugged, "seemed like a good place. It's a little crowded in there."

"You should've said something," he said, "I was starting to get worried."

Mabel cringed, her guilt levels rising, "Sorry."

"It's OK," he replied as she heard him climb up to join her, completely ignoring her cues telling him to leave her be, much to her dismay. Didn't she say she wanted to be alone? She bit her lip to force herself not to say anything in protest.

"Stan's getting dinner ready," he said, as he sat down perpendicular to her with her facing away from him, her feet swinging freely over the edge of the roof, while he sat with his legs resting along the slope of the roof overlooking the 'M' in the Mystery Shack sign, "nothing special, just some canned pasta but considering the last few days I'm sure it's going to be amazing."

"Not hungry," she muttered, closing her eyes with a wince as she imagined Dipper hurt and alone, fending for himself struggling to survive while she feasted on anything and everything she desired.

"Really?"

"I got everything I wished for in that bubble, remember? Food wasn't exactly hard to come by."

"Yeah but…none of it was real."

"Seemed real at the time," she shrugged dismissively, looking up at the red sky as she shifted where she sat, her butt getting a little numb from sitting along the peak of the roof. Dipper put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back slightly when she wobbled unsteadily as she moved.

"Are you sure it's safe to be up here?" he asked.

Mabel shrugged, "I've been up here before, it's no big deal."

"Yeah but… before there wasn't any Weirdmageddon," Dipper pointed out worriedly. She glanced behind her to look at him but then quickly looked away again.

"The Mystery Shack is protected, remember?"

"I know, I know but…" he sighed, "I'd feel a little better if you weren't so close to the edge. Think you could…maybe…?"

Mabel sighed and swung her legs around so she was facing the same direction as him and they both scooted a little further from the edge where it was safer. At least if one of them slipped there was a giant sign to break their fall and not the ground two stories below.

"Thanks," he said, and she could hear the relief in his voice.

"Mmm," she shrugged as she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged her legs, looking out into the distance.

Dipper followed her line of sight and then glanced back at her, "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she nodded, pulling the collar of her sweater up to her nose again and then tugging the hem over her knees.

"Must really be weird for you since you didn't know this was going on. I'd imagine it was quite a shock to escape that bubble only to be met with…with all this."

She nodded and sniffed.

"Are you crying?" he asked after a pause, leaning to get a better look at her face.

She shook her head.

"You _are_ crying!"

"No I'm not!" she whimpered, inwardly cursing as his question triggered the waterworks she fought to keep under control. She felt him place a comforting hand on her shoulder as she looked away from him and rested her cheek on her folded arms over her knees.

They were silent for a moment as Mabel tried to regain her composure, clearly frustrated with herself for getting so emotional. Dipper meanwhile watched her quietly, unsure of what to do. After a pause she wiped the tears from her eyes and snot from her nose and took a deep breath, sparing Dipper a quick glance and a small smile, indicating that she was OK for now.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked gently.

She shook her head, ""All we've really done since we got here is talk. I want to _do_ something to stop that stupid Triangle Guy and save everyone," she muttered, _To fix my mistake…_ "put an end to this Weridpocalypse or whatever once and for all."

"Amen to that," Dipper nodded in agreement, "but we need a plan first. And rest, and food. We all need our strength if we're to defeat him."

"I'm not hungry or tired," Mabel stated, looking out into the forest, "I had it easy the last few days, I'm ready to go."

"Yeah well…I'm not. Besides, we still need a plan."

"I have a plan."

"You do?"

"Yeah! Kick his isosceles butt back to where it belongs!"

"That's not really a plan," Dipper mused with a smirk, "but I like where that idea is headed."

Mabel pulled the collar of her sweater back up to her nose, covering her eyes with her hands. She nodded but didn't say anything.

"Mabel?" Dipper prodded gently, "Are you OK?"

She glanced at him but said nothing, taking her time to respond. She sighed and looked out at the decimated forest until finally after a long moment of silence she whispered, "It's my fault. Isn't it?"

"What is?"

She gestured to the red sky and crippled woods, "All this. Bill. Everything."

"What? No!" Dipper exclaimed, "Of course not! Why would you say that?"

"Because I… I had th-the thingie!" she blurted.

"What thingie?"

"When all this started! When Bill crossed into our world, I had it! It's my fault!"

"The Rift?" Dipper realized, "Mabel…you took my bag by _mistake_ , it was already cracking. What happened was an accident. It wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it? How could you be sure?" Mabel asked.

"Well, tell me what happened then."

"I don't remember," she sighed, "At least not exactly. It's all kinda fuzzy… sort of like when you wake up from a crazy dream and you remember it at first but then as the day goes on you don't anymore but if you think really hard you can sort of remember bits and pieces… you know what I mean?"

Dipper thought about it and frowned, "I think so?"

"Anyway, the last thing I can clearly remember before waking up in that Bubble was Sweatertown…"

Dipper heaved a guilty sigh, "Oh Mabel…"

She looked at him, sensing his guilt for making her so upset in the first place since she only went to Sweatertown when things got really bad, "We've already been over that. It's OK."

"Mabel, I don't know what happened, but just because you had the Rift, doesn't make it your fault it broke. It was already cracking, I should've been more careful when I stored it in my backpack."

"No, you don't understand… I _had_ it! In my hands. I was…I was holding it in my hands!" she held her hands up mimicking the motion in case it sparked a new memory. "I didn't know what it was, I thought…I didn't know how important it was. I was just….so upset and hurt and…"

"You think you broke it on purpose?" Dipper queried, taken aback, "That's not like you. No matter how mad at me you might've been, I know you wouldn't break something of mine just to spite me."

"I know," Mabel agreed, "a-and I wouldn't but… out of everyone Bill captured, why was I the only one who got a Bubble? Everyone else got turned to stone but me? I got everything I wanted."

Dipper scoffed, "Yeah, because he didn't want you to escape. He was using your fantasies to keep you there, it was part of his sick plan."

"But why me? Why wasn't _I_ turned to stone like everyone else? Kinda hard to escape that! I ran off into the woods wishing that I didn't have to grow up, wishing summer could last forever…and _I had the thingie_! And then I got what I wished for. Sure it was twisted around to keep me hostage, but I didn't know that. If you guys hadn't come along and helped break the spell that stupid Bubble had over me, I might never have known that. Either way I still got what I wished for," Mabel reminded him. "Nobody else got that. So why me? Unless…unless I…"

"What are you saying?" Dipper asked, his voice going low as though he already knew where her train of thought was headed.

"I had the Rift thingie! The very thing that stupid Triangle Guy was after, I had it in my hands! He got what he wanted, and I got what I thought _I_ wanted! You do the math!"

She put her hands to her mouth, feeling sick to her stomach, like she was going to throw up as a heavy silence filled the air and lingered for a long moment that felt much longer than it really was.

Dipper reached for her, "Mabel…"

She pulled away violently, " _See_? It _IS_ my fault!"

"So…what you're saying is…you made a deal?" he asked quietly.

"Yes! I think so…maybe?" She clutched her aching stomach, wracking her brain trying to remember what happened between Sweatertown and Mabeland. It was starting to come back to her, slowly, but it was still so fragmented and vague. She could visualize the memory of holding it out to someone, and a voice echoed in her head, stuttering out her name. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it, and it was so frustrating! "I don't know for sure but…it all adds up."

She glanced at her brother, curious to find out what he thought about this revelation and immediately saw conflict in his eyes. Then denial.

"Mabel, you said it yourself—you don't even remember what happened. You're jumping to conclusions, beating yourself up over something that might not even be true," Dipper stated.

"Come on Dipper, how else do you explain it?" Mabel asked, "While everyone was going through hell, I was having the time of my life!"

"You shouldn't be feeling guilty over that," Dipper soothed but Mabel wouldn't have it.

"All this damage and suffering, it's because of me. Because I selfishly made a deal or got stupid and played right into Bill's tricks…" she cried, her vision blurring through the tears forming in her eyes. As she spoke, her words triggered a new memory.

 _Just hand it over and I'll do my thing!_

 _Just a little more summer…_

She gasped, doubling over as her stomach seemed to twist in knots as her guilt and regret tore at her and she cried, now knowing for sure that she was right. She didn't need any more details or memories to know it was the truth, she knew more than enough. "Everyone down there suffered through so much the last few days because I had to be a selfish idiot and allow that stupid triangle to trick me! This whole thing, it's all my fault!"

It was really starting to come back to her now all of a sudden, in brief but vivid waves of snippets, like somehow talking about it was bringing it all back. but it felt like there was more to it than that. Like it was because of the spell the Bubble had over her that she forgot everything in the first place, and now that she was free of the Bubble, she was free to remember but just needed something to trigger it. And now, the more she remembered, the worse she felt and the weight of her guilt was quickly becoming too much to carry.

Now she could remember the Time Travel guy, Bender…Blender… _Blendin_! That was his name! But it wasn't him. He was laughing, his eyes yellow. He dropped the thingie and stomped on it. He snapped his fingers and then… and then she was falling backwards.

"I'm so sorry Dipper! I'm so sorry," she sobbed, "I screwed up, I screwed up bad! I'm starting to remember… I just wanted summer to last forever, I was so upset and depressed and scared of growing up and that we'd grow apart and so… it was the time traveller, he said he could make summer last as long as I wanted. 'A Time Bubble' he said… oh man I was so stupid…but it also seemed so…I don't know, _possible_. I didn't see his eyes…I let him trick me and…and…"

"So what you're saying is…you really did let Bill Cipher trick you and made a deal. You're positive?"

She nodded, holding herself as though she'd fall apart if she didn't. Still clutching her stomach, she turned away from him, dreading to see the anger in his eyes, terrified that he'd be so angry he'd hate her forever. Not that she didn't deserve it. She helped start the _Apocalypse_ because of her stupidity and selfishness.

To her surprise she felt Dipper scoot closer to her, one arm sliding across her back and the other resting on her shoulder as he leaned in close, "Oh man, Mabel, you're shaking!" he rubbed her back comfortingly and pulled her closer.

She turned her head towards him in disbelief, pulling away, "Y-you're not m-mad?"

"Furious. But not at you."

"But look at what I did!" she sobbed, gesturing to the red chaotic sky and damaged forest.

" _You_ didn't do any of that," he said, "Bill and his buddies did."

"Yeah well, I'm the one who opened the door and invited them all in!" she cried, "How could I have been so stupid?"

Dipper chuckled gently, and she gaped at him incredulously, "You're saying Bill tricked you? Well, join the club."

She sniffed, blinking back tears as more fell down her cheeks, "Huh?"

"Hey remember that time when Bill decided to hijack my body and I had to use a friggin' sock puppet to communicate with you?"

"Yeah…"

"I was so obsessed with figuring out the password to that laptop I made a deal with Bill. He'd help me with the laptop, all he needed was a puppet…which turned out to be me. See? You weren't the only Pines to get tricked by Bill."

"That's different…" she sniffed.

"Yeah, the difference was that I knew exactly who I was dealing with, sounds to me like you didn't."

"Except you didn't hand over the very thing he needed to take over the world."

Dipper sighed, "Maybe, but if _you_ didn't stop him that day, who knows what he would've done next?"

"Still, I should've been more careful, less stupid and less selfish…"

"Mabel, you were afraid and upset, he took advantage of you when you were vulnerable, just as he did to me. That's how he works. I was sleep deprived and desperate to get into that laptop, and he went after you when you were at your lowest moment."

"But I knew that he was out there and after… _something_."

"If you knew what the Rift was, and what it was for, would you have given it to him? To anyone?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, "I would've guarded it with my life!"

Now it was Dipper's turn to look guilty and he sighed, "Which makes it my fault then."

"Huh? No! Of course not!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Ford made me promise not to tell anyone about the Rift, including you. I didn't feel right about keeping secrets from you, because we're a team, you know? But I didn't want to betray Ford's trust, so I didn't argue, I didn't question it or anything. If I trusted you and told you about the Rift… then maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"But…you were just trying to respect Ford's wishes," Mabel protested, "there's nothing wrong with that. It just shows that you're trustworthy and stuff. What I did…"

"Of course there wouldn't be a Rift if Stan didn't fix the Portal…"

"But he just wanted to save his brother! Besides, I was the one who let it open, you can't blame Stan!"

"You're right because now that I think about it... I really shouldn't but... I'm going to let you in on a little secret," Dipper whispered, "This whole making a deal with Bill club, it's very exclusive, but do you know who the founding member is? Ford."

"Really?"

"He was obsessed with learning all the mysteries of the universe and Bill offered to help, but, you know, for a price," Dipper said, "so I guess it's Ford's fault. He built the Portal in the first place, remember?"

"But he didn't know this would happen! And neither did Stan or you!"

"And you did?" Dipper raised a brow.

"Well…no."

"But you still think it's your fault?"

"Yes! Because I _should've_ known, but I had to be so stupid and selfish and…"

"By your own logic Mabel, we're _all_ to blame. We all had a part to play in this, Ford, Stan…me," Dipper shrugged. "By _your_ logic, I'm just as guilty as you. Maybe even more."

"Don't be ridiculous, Dipper," Mabel cried, "you did nothing wrong!"

"I should've trusted you."

"But you didn't want to betray Ford's trust! Besides, after what I did how could you ever trust me?"

"Because I know you. One innocent mistake in a moment of weakness is not going to shatter my faith in you. I know that we're an unstoppable team but by keeping secrets from you and shutting you out of a big part of my life when I started spending a lot of time with Grunkle Ford, and accepting his offer to stay without even thinking about you or talking to you about it first, I hurt you. I drove you away and put you in such a vulnerable position leaving you wide open for Bill to take advantage of you."

"Dipper…"

"So if anyone's to blame, it's me," he said quietly, his eyes downcast in shame.

"Don't say that!" Mabel exclaimed tearfully, "It wasn't _your_ fault Bill tricked me, it was Bill's! He's the one who started it all! It's his fault! Not yours!"

Dipper's sad guilt-ridden face morphed into a sly grin and he smirked knowingly, "Exactly."

Mabel was taken aback, she gaped at him for a moment, then wiped the tears still falling freely down her face.

"He played us _all_ for fools at some point. It was all part of his plan," Dipper continued. "His plan, his fault. He's manipulative. It's part of his game and you didn't even know it was him so no more of this blaming yourself nonsense, OK? You're too good of a person to be beating yourself up over this."

With a soft whimper Mabel threw her arms around her brother and sobbed into his shoulder while he held her and soothed her comfortingly. This time the tears were cathartic, and as she cried the deep ache in her stomach subsided and the guilt that had been eating at her and tearing her up inside melted away.

The guilt was still there when she finally felt like she had enough and was able to stop crying, but it had been reduced to practically nothing; a much lighter burden that she would carry to remind herself not to let it happen again and fuel her drive to stop Bill. She finally pulled away to give her brother a small smile.

"Feel better?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah," she replied with a sniff.

"Good," he grinned, "Now what do you say we get down from here and join everyone for canned dinner? I'm starving."

"Sounds good bro-bro," Mabel agreed, "You're right that we're going to need our strength if we're going to kick that Isosceles Monster out of our realm and back to where he belongs! He's messed with the wrong family and the wrong town. That geometrical jerkface is going down!"

Dipper laughed, "He's going to wish he never messed with the Mystery Twins—and I'm talking _both_ generations here!"

"Ya darn tootin'!" Mabel giggled with a sniff. _I must be a mess!_ she thought.

"I'm so glad to have you back, sis," Dipper added, seriously, "I really missed you the last few days."

"It's good to be back, broseph," Mabel replied as they made their way down the slope of the roof towards the trap door. "Thanks for everything Dipper. Thanks for saving me and always being there for me, you're the best brother a girl can ask for, did you know that?"

"Really? I thought that title went to Dippy Fresh or whatever the heck his name was."

"Nah, Dippy Fresh was a poser, I'd _much_ rather have the real deal," Mabel scoffed lightly.

"Oh _really_?" Dipper asked with mock skepticism. "I thought you said he was your 'new and improved' brother or something like that."

"Hey, cut me some slack, I was under a spell!" Mabel exclaimed, playing along with a light punch to his arm.

"I hated that guy."

"You know what? Me too."

* * *

A/N Me too.

Well... there you have it. I know it's a little cheesy at the end but who doesn't like cheese once in a while? Mystery Twins for life!

The phrase "Ya darn tootin'!" that Mabel says near the end of this is something my own Grunkle used to say a lot. I included it in his memory. He passed away at the end of August last year and I miss him. He was awesome.

So anyway, this exists because I really wanted to see Dipper and Mabel acknowledge her encounter with Bill at the end of D&MvsTF. I know they probably didn't have time in "W2:EFR" and who knows, maybe the finale will address it but I'm doubtful. (at the time of posting this it has yet to air so if you're reading this after the finale, I guess you'd already know) I figured the only way Mabel wouldn't have brought it up in W2:EFR was if she didn't remember so, there you go. I know it's a little rushed with her remembering, but I needed to move the story along so...yeah.

OK, show of hands. Who's excited for the finale? I am, but at the same time I'm sad. Super sad. I'm glad it's getting a proper conclusion, something many shows don't get the chance to do, but I don't want it to end. So much that in a way I'd be perfectly happy if they delayed the finale a little longer, just so I can hold onto the anticipation. Sure, there's always reruns but I'm going to miss the theories and predictions and all around not knowing what's going to happen next.

Oh well, there's always fanfiction.

Speaking of which... I'm working on updates for my other stories, and have an A/U in the works where Weirdmageddon never happened, Dipper DID accept the apprenticeship with Ford and Mabel returns to Gravity Falls the following summer only to discover something is amiss.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! (Also, I probably won't get to see the finale until the 17th at the earliest, so if you've seen it, please no spoilers! I purposely haven't even seen a promo.!)


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